People with some degree of curly, coiled, or kinky hair follicles have found hair-straightening methods exert stress on the hair follicle, causing hair loss and breakage. As a result, it has become increasingly common to wear the hair in its naturally coiled state to avoid such damage. This is also the reason “protective styles”—styles that allow the hair to remain in its natural, resilient, healthful state while placing minimal stress on the hair—such as braiding, twisting, and weaving, have also achieved notoriety among people with naturally coiled hair follicles.
Although preferred for healthful hair, there is a significant disadvantage to wearing the hair in its naturally coiled state, called “shrinkage.” “Shrinkage” is the loss or decrease of coil length due to the force of the coil's own stiffness, rigidity, and elasticity working in opposition to the gravitational force. Under the weight of a wetting agent (typically water or hair product), the hair coil can stretch to a maximum coil length. Meaning, the hair follicle maintains its general coil shape or pattern without completely straightening out. However, as the coil dries, it shrinks. It is not atypical to see shrinkage amounts averaging 3 to 9 inches throughout the hair coils on one person's head.
The prior art does not address these issues but instead suffers from a number of disadvantages for people with coiled, kinky, curly hair. The prior art does not provide an efficient, healthful, uniform, non-chemical solution to shrinkage. Overall, the prior art focuses on manipulation of straight hair into a wavy or curly form, or, completely straightening curly, kinky, or wavy hair altogether such as by heat or chemical substance, thereby disrupting the natural coil pattern. By way of summary and example, the devices and methods in present use:                a. do not elongate the coil's natural shape;        b. do not provide a healthful means of creating an elongated, defined coil;        c. do not provide a chemical-free means of creating an elongated, defined coil;        d. do not provide a heat-free or minimal heat means of creating an elongated, defined coil;        e. do not provide an efficient, quick, and simple means of creating an elongated, defined coil; and,        f. do not provide a means for achieving versatility of coil pattern throughout the same head.        